Conventional slat blinds, whether oriented horizontally or vertically, are commonly supplied as window treatments in housing rentals. Because landlords and rental managers tend to advertise their spaces to a wide variety of potential tenants likely having conflicting tastes and sensibilities in terms of design and aesthetics, these window treatments tend to be defined by generic white, cream, or off-white coloring and few, if any, embellishments. Though inoffensive, such generic window dressings may be bland and unappealing to inhabitants hoping to personalize their living space.
Some rental agreements expressly prohibit removal or modification of pre-installed fixtures such as window treatments, limiting tenants' opportunities for personalization. Still others prohibit adding holes, such as those needed to secure some fixtures, to the walls. Some dwellings themselves comprise materials that are not capable of accommodating certain types of fixtures. For example, it may be impractical to bore holes for fixtures into a brick wall. Even those rental agreements that do allow inhabitants to modify or remove features exiting in the rented space fail to solve the problem. Though some renters may choose to remove window dressings, including any brackets and valances secured to the window frame and/or surrounding walls and secure their own brackets, valances, and other fixtures others may be discouraged from so doing by lacking the proper tools, having mobility problems, or being unable to replace and/or store the fixtures on their own.
Some proposals for enabling personalization of window dressings in spite of restrictions have been suggested. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,741 to Cairns suggests making easily replaceable window treatments using opposing hook and loop fasteners to secure a drapery to an outer frame. Unfortunately, this reference is deficient because the permanent or semi-permanent attachment surfaces contemplated fail to optionally permit sliding the window treatment, such as a curtain, open and closed depending on desire for light and a view through the window. As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,334,477 to Moir discloses an adapter for mounting a curtain on the same sliding track along with vertically-hanging blinds. This, however, is deficient for failing to retrofit other types of conventional window treatments, such as horizontal blinds, with curtains. As still another example, U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0241106 filed by Bolton et al. describes a method of forming curtains to replace vertical slats in a generic mounted valance. This proposal is deficient, however, because its application is only suited to limited types of window treatments and thus fails to conveniently solve the problem as relates to the variety of different conventional window treatments disposed, especially in rental properties, and even variety of desirable curtains, dressings, and other articles.
Thus, there remains a need for a system and device that easily enables personalization of window treatments by hanging curtains or other articles while avoiding alteration of the pre-installed fixtures, supports, and surrounding surfaces.